Rural broadband connectivity is developing rapidly. With changing climate and weather patterns, how can communities ensure the durability and longevity of this important infrastructure?
Climate resilience is one crucial way. Climate resilience refers to preparing for, responding to, and recovering from the impacts of our changing climate. For rural communities, this means developing smart policies and strategies that address the unique vulnerabilities in their area to plan for a sustainable future. By tailoring plans to their specific needs, rural areas enhance their ability to withstand climate-related risks and promote sustainable growth and development in the future.
Strategic planning is critical for communication infrastructure. Rural areas often face unique challenges due to geographical isolation, limited infrastructure, and economic vulnerabilities. Many of these areas still lack access to high-speed internet, which has negative implications for emergency communications and disaster relief. High-speed broadband can play a foundational role in improving emergency response, promoting sustainable development, and building climate resilience in rural areas.
More money than ever has been dedicated to expanding broadband connectivity to rural communities thanks to federal, state, and local efforts through implementing the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program and other broadband funding initiatives. While connectivity improves lives across all parts of the country, climate change can alter the environment where communication infrastructure is installed, such as rising sea levels affecting coastal areas or increased temperatures impacting equipment performance. Inclement weather can also damage or cut off communications in areas where storms or wildfires strike. Federal and state agencies and community leaders must be strategic with broadband dollars because resources are limited.
Planning for these events ensures rural communities have reliable technology and infrastructure in place to maintain service, even in the face of disaster or climate impacts. Modern broadband technology, like fiber, is faster and easier to repair than traditional communication infrastructure, making restoring service after a severe weather event easier. As more rural areas are brought online, broadband networks can be designed to withstand extreme and changing conditions, maintain connectivity, or reduce downtime during a crisis. This resilience is crucial for preserving essential communications and services for rural America.
The Role of Broadband Providers in Promoting Climate-Resilient Futures
Broadband is positively changing lives in rural America. When it comes to climate-smart practices, modern fiber networks enable rural communities to tap into telehealth services, telecommuting for work, precision agriculture, renewable energy systems, knowledge-sharing, and more. Bringing more rural communities into the digital world creates new economic, social, and environmental opportunities, which is why it is critical to ensure robust and resilient broadband infrastructure is in place.
Broadband providers are crucial in ensuring their networks are prepared for more extreme temperatures and changing weather patterns. Providers should incorporate climate data into their planning processes to fulfill this responsibility. Web-based tools like ClimRR, developed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory, and AT&T, utilize community, demographic, and infrastructure data to provide climate projections to help users visualize future, local-scale climate impacts. By using climate projections and risk assessments, they can inform the design and placement of broadband infrastructure, selecting sites less prone to climate-related hazards and designing systems that can endure extreme conditions.
In addition to planning, adopting sustainable practices and collaboration with stakeholders are essential. Providers can minimize environmental impact by using recyclable materials and implementing energy-efficient technologies like fiber instead of copper, which set a standard for responsible development and help mitigate the effects of climate change. Providers should collaborate with local governments, communities, and environmental organizations to develop innovative and comprehensive strategies for climate resilience to align infrastructure development with broader community and environmental goals, fostering a unified approach to tackling climate challenges.
Expanding rural broadband is a key component of this integration, providing the infrastructure necessary to support climate-smart practices, diversify economies, and enhance community well-being. By prioritizing rural broadband and fostering partnerships, we can build resilient communities that are equipped to face the challenges of climate change and lead the way in sustainable development. Rural communities can utilize broadband for climate adaptation by accessing real-time weather data, participating in telehealth services, and implementing smart agriculture techniques.
The uptick in inclement weather and climate impacts reinforces the importance of building forward-looking critical infrastructure – including prioritizing the best broadband technology to keep communities connected in the face of future climate challenges. Integrating climate resilience into rural broadband development bolsters network reliability and emergency response communication and supports the broader social, economic, and environmental resilience of rural communities. Rural areas can better prepare for, respond to, and recover from future impacts by ensuring reliable connectivity in the face of climate change.
